BEMIDJI — The gift of a blue pen and writing pad from her grandfather when she was almost 10 inspired a lifetime of writing for Bemidji author Barbara Schlichting.
As a teenager in a house full of boys, Schlichting needed a break from her brothers one holiday, so she left the chaos of celebration and slipped into another room. The decision to isolate for a moment resulted in a connection that would last nearly a lifetime and cultivate her love of writing even more.
In her moment of solace, an ad for a pen pal in England caught her eye. After consulting her father, she began corresponding with her pen pal Chris. It became a writing relationship that would further inspire her love of writing and enrich her life.
“We talked about our moms, our dads, our siblings, we talked about going on dates,” Schlichting said. “ ... We talked about everything.”
As adults, they talked about illness and marriages and divorce. And they began visiting each other and sharing lives in more ways, until Chris’ death in 2019.
A prolific writer, Schlichting’s White House Dollhouse mystery series highlights first ladies of the United States. She also writes children’s books and poetry. And recently, as a last letter to her longtime friend and pen pal, she wrote her first play, Corresponding Lives. The production depicts semi-autobiographical account of two girls, Barb and Chris, sharing the joys and complexities of their lives across an ocean through letters.
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Creating a play from their lifetime of correspondence nagged at Schlichting for a few years before Chris’ death and though Chris owed her one final letter, she decided she’d take the pen and write a final note in the form of a play.
Writing for theater and for the page are two different experiences, Schlichting said.
“With a novel, you can carry things out, and with a play it has to get you right now,” Schlichting said.
“We talked about our moms, our dads, our siblings, we talked about going on dates. ... We talked about everything.”Barbara Schlichting
She enlisted in a playwriting course through The Loft (Literary Center) in Minneapolis. She joined a Facebook group dedicated to writing plays, and her real-life story began to take the shape of a theatrical production.
The Bemidji Community Theater Board of Directors read the script and according to Director Kristine Cannon, they knew it had potential. But the group worried about Schlichting’s ability to execute to the production as a first-time director.
That’s where the BCT Studio Works Program came in. The program, which assists in producing original, locally written theater, connected Schlichting with Cannon to help bring the story to the stage. Cannon assisted Schlichting with knowledge of blocking, lighting and set design, as well as modifications to move the story along like costuming and the help of projected images of the news and culture, assisting with creating the march of time.
Now, the play that grew from a lifetime of sharing with a stranger who became a dear friend has developed into something all its own.
In considering the journey of seeing the actors fill her words with life, she said, “They know what they are doing, and they have come into their own. They own the script now.”
Corresponding Lives will be performed 7 p.m. Friday through Saturday, May 12-13 and May 19-20, and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 14 and May 21, in Bemidji Community Theater’s Performing Arts Complex.
Aria Robertson and Jessica Robertson will perform as young and adult Barb while Annika Selberg and Tami McMenimen play young and adult Chris.
Tickets and more information can be found at bemidjicommunitytheater.com.
Area Voices is made possible by the MN Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of MN.
